Fire Marshal, Sheriff shut down gathering at Murchison horse track

Press release

On Sunday, Sept. 24, the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office learned of a mass gathering at the Murchison Down Horse Race track located on FM 773 in Murchison.

According to a post on AmWager, state law requires these horse races to obtain a mass gathering permit from the county if the gathering is expected to attract more than 100 individuals. To obtain a permit, the promoters are required to meet the requirements of the permit, including filing for the permit at least 45 days prior to the event, and inspection by the County Fire Marshal, the County Sheriff and a final approval by the Commissioners Court.

Knowing the mass gathering permit had not been issued, the Henderson County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg, along with Deputy Fire Marshal Sherry Powers, Sheriff Botie Hillhouse and other sheriff deputies drove to the location. Upon arrival, over 1,000 individuals were counted on the scene.

The Henderson County Fire Marshal’s office along with the Henderson County Sheriff Office shut down the race track and arrested the two promoters of the event. Moises Antonio Hernandez of Murchison and Rebecca Rodriquez Chaffee of Dallas were arrested at the scene and booked into Henderson County Jail for Promoting a Mass Gathering without a permit which is a class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

“These promoters of this event were told on several occasions that they could not hold this event without meeting the permit requirements,” said Fire Marshal Shane Renberg. “They chose to disregard the state law and the county ordinance and now they are in jail facing charges. These permits are in place to ensure the safety of the citizens at the event. When you have over 1,000 people at an event, it is necessary for the county to know what is going on there to make sure we can provide emergency services for the people if we’re needed. This is just another great example of the cooperation between the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s office and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office to ensure the safety of the citizens of this county.”